Northern group requests medical centre in Southern Kaduna

• Laments concentration of tertiary institutions in Zaria

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has called on the Federal Government to facilitate the proposed Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Southern Kaduna, noting that the initiative would not only save countless lives, but also enhance healthcare delivery across the region.

The group said Southern Kaduna has every reason to host an FMC, pointing out that the region accounts for 12 out of the 23 Local Councils in Kaduna State.

Stating that the region occupied a strategic location, the NCYP submitted that the area spans “parts of Zone 2 and the entire Zone 3, and occupies 57 per cent of Kaduna State’s landmass, and accounts for 52.1 per cent of the population, yet it has only one federal institution: the Federal School of Statistics in Manchok.”

In a statement yesterday by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak, the group commended President Bola Tinubu for assenting to the bill establishing the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Southern Kaduna, adding: “Currently, individuals with severe medical conditions in Southern Kaduna face immense challenges travelling for about 300 kilometers to access better healthcare services at the University of Jos Teaching.

Hospital or the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika, Zaria.”

According to Abrak, “the establishment of an FMC in Southern Kaduna will address this critical gap by providing advanced medical care closer to the people. Furthermore, it will bolster the efficiency of existing public hospitals in the region, attract health professionals, and improve overall healthcare delivery.”

He decried the overconcentration of federal institutions in Zaria, stating: “We wish to draw the President’s attention to the recent allocation of four federal institutions to Zaria, a single town that already boasts 12 federal institutions. The new institutions allocated to Zaria include: the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery, Federal College of Education, Federal Open University, and Federal College of Legal Studies.”